President Museveni Pays Last Respect To Cecelia Ogwal, See What He Will Forever Remember Her For
President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, accompanied by the First Lady and Minister of Education and Sports, Maama Janet Museveni, paid tribute to the late Hon. Cecilia Atim Ogwal, the Woman Member of Parliament for Dokolo District on Monday, January 22, 2024. Hon. Ogwal, 77, a Member of Parliament since 1996, passed away on January 18, 2024, in India after a short illness.
Attending a vigil to honor the fallen legislator at Parliament, President Museveni expressed his sadness at not having fully worked with Hon. Ogwal due to the “politics of fragmentation.” He said, “I feel sad because of the politics of fragmentation. We couldn’t work together fully although we had similar qualities.”
“I have not worked optimally with Cecilia Ogwal, but I can tell you when I eventually met her, I could see that she is a patriot.” He advised Members of Parliament always to work together whenever there is an opportunity, especially on matters of national importance.
He further recounted their encounter with Hon. Ogwal in the North while fighting the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) where one rebel, Vincent Otti, rang the MP threatening to kill her if she did not support the rebels and reject the National Resistance Movement. He disclosed that Hon. Ogwal stood her ground and rejected the war.
The President also informed the MPs that during the processes of the Constituent Assembly, the Uganda People’s Congress (UPC) was telling its followers to reject the activities, but Hon. Ogwal was able to advise them that what they were doing was wrong, saying that all people must participate irrespective of their political affiliations. He noted that Hon. Ogwal was a good leader whose contribution was suppressed by the bad atmosphere created by the politics of hatred.
President Museveni also lauded the fallen MP for her exceptional role in pacifying the Northern region affected by the LRA insurgency and politics of hatred. On her part, the Speaker of Parliament, Rt Hon. Anita Among thanked the President for granting the late an official burial which will include a gun salute.
She informed President Museveni that Parliament has lost a uniting factor in Hon. Ogwal. At the time of her death, she was a member of the Committees on Physical Infrastructure and Budget. She also served as Uganda’s representative to the Pan African Parliament (PAP) and a Parliamentary Commissioner in the 10th Parliament. The vigil was attended by, among others, His Lordship the Chief Justice, Alfonse Owiny-Dollo, Rt. Hon. Robinah Nabbanja the Prime Minister, ministers, and Members of Parliament.